JOURACA_SP_2017

In-Vitro Model for Real-Life
Movement in Arteries
Carson Schaff
Peripheral Arterial Disease is the narrowing
and restriction of blood flow of the peripheral
arteries, specifically in the legs. This is
caused by the buildup of plaque in the arterial
wall. If left untreated it can lead to the
formation of a blood clot, gangrene, heart
attack or stroke. The current surgical treatment
is an angioplasty balloon that is inflated
at the disease site. This compresses the
plaque outwards and opens up the artery. A
stent can then be placed there to hold the
artery open. If the disease is below the knee,
typically a stent is not used due to a high
fracture rate from excessive movement
caused by walking. In this case a balloon
coated with paclitaxel is used. This drug
stops the growth of cells and is done so that
the smooth muscle cells do not proliferate
and cause restenosis. There is evidence that
drug-coated balloons are not as effective
below the knee as above the knee. There are
many factors as to why this might happen.
In this study it is hypothesized that the
twisting and shortening of the artery, below
the knee, may affect the pharmacokinetics
of the paclitaxel. However, this is yet to be
determined. Our goal is to design and build
a machine that will model the twisting and
shortening movements to the artery while
maintaining temperature and flow conditions
as would be experienced in the body.
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Mentor: Dr. Saami Yazdani
35